Firefly today officially launches out of beta, with a new approach to spur business and revenue by connecting brands, rideshare drivers, and local city governments. The company, which operates a network of first of its kind “situationally aware” digital smart screens mounted to existing rideshare vehicles, is already proving to be a win-win business and has now attracted of Silicon Valley’s top venture capitalists and angel investors with $21.5M in Seed Funding from NFX, Pelion Venture Partners, Decent Capital (Tencent founders), and Jeffrey Housenbold (SOFTBANK Vision Fund).

Despite the promise of flexible and well-paying work, for many in the gig transportation economy, it’s a struggle to make ends meet. As the rideshare market has grown increasingly saturated, driver wages have stagnated, meaning longer hours are required to earn a healthy return. Firefly works directly with these drivers to install its proprietary displays atop their vehicles, turning them into geo-targeted out-of-home (OOH) advertising stations. Not only does this work to offset wage stagnation across the rideshare economy, but Firefly represents a growing exercise of entrepreneurial freedom from drivers to expand their income beyond that earned directly through ridesharing platforms.

“I have been driving to make money for two years and adding the Firefly opportunity has made it easier to pay university tuition, pay for insurance, and fuel,” said Jacqueline Arena of San Francisco. “I am a single mom, so any extra income helps me month to month. I really love the company and the Firefly support staff is awesome to work with, which makes the entire process easier. I love being a Firefly driver.”

The outdoor advertising market is at an all-time high, with worldwide OOH spend expected to reach $38 billion this year (Zenith). Firefly’s proprietary technology delivers the right message at the right time with pinpoint geographic accuracy, cutting through the noise of a crowded market and leading to highly effective campaign performance and consumer-engagement. The screens promote national and regional brand advertisers, small businesses and charities while also informing municipal governments with useful data such as clean air and pedestrian movement.

Firefly has designed its network with local communities in mind. This means a minimum of 10 percent of all inventory goes to promote and advertise local not-for-profit organizations, public sector PSAs and other non-commercial entities such as charities, advocacy groups, and community organizations. In partnership with the Coalition of Clean Air, it executed a hybrid campaign around California Clean Air Day. A multifaceted program built on the idea that shared experiences unite people to action to improve community health, Clean Air Day is a statewide effort to make conscious and environmentally-minded choices. Firefly worked with the Coalition in the Los Angeles area, running a 4-week campaign that saw geofenced content in popular neighborhoods like Downtown LA, Santa Monica, and Hollywood.

The company works hand in hand with municipal governments to provide information on city mobility conditions and follow best practices in privacy. Its GPS sensors provide granular insight so transportation agencies can make informed decisions and policy. Additional sensors have the potential to address pressing urban ailments like pollution levels, pavement condition, and street lighting. The company has also taken a stand on supporting small businesses such as coffee shops, restaurants, and boutiques by allocating an additional 10 percent of unsold screen time to non-chain small businesses.

Co-founder and CEO Kaan Gunay spent several years working with Habitat for Humanity and dedicates time to advocate for refugees of the Syrian civil war. With a commitment to altruism at his core, Gunay launched Firefly out of the passion to build something that benefits the majority, rather than a select few.

“Unlike many other startups, we started Firefly with a community-first mentality -- we sought to have community baked into our product, ingrained in the DNA of our company, rather than tacked on as an afterthought” explained Kaan Gunay, co-founder & CEO of Firefly. “To do that, we’re working closely with stakeholders from all aspects of urban communities that drive value, wages and insights. With Firefly, we’re building a smart city network that works for the city, to better the lives of all of the people that live and work within it.”

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